Instead of 7 PE you can use any other way of booting that allows you to Format and prepare your Target Drive.You might decide e.g. to boot with Portable Windows XP IMG or with Windows 7 VHD from USBIn any case you can use WinNTSetup2_x86.exe to prepare your Target drive for Install of XP or Windows 7

The advantage is that you never boot from USB during XP Setupand that makes everything much more reliable and you have full control of what you are doing.Also using a single XP Setup ISO file mounted in ImDisk Virtual drive is much more reliablethan having a bunch of XP Setup files on USB.Transfer of the ISO file to USB is much faster and easier to maintain.Instead of USB-stick it is much better to use Portable 2.5 inch USB-harddisk e.g. Samsung S2As easy to carry and connect, but much higher speed and more capacity.

Run BOOT_IMG.exe to Install LiveXP Boot Image file as boot option on C-BootDrive of Harddisk

For blank HDD you need to create first an Active Primary NTFS partition:

Use Make_USB.exe to make USB-stick having XP Setup Source and being bootable with LiveXP

Use BOOT_IMG.exe to make USB-stick also bootable with Parted Magic 4.6 (See Section 6)

After booting from USB-stick with Parted Magic from GRUB4DOS menu, you can create Primary NTFS partition using GParted

Reboot from USB-stick with LiveXP PE and Set Active the created Primary NTFS partition using Disk ManagementIn LiveXP you must fix the MBR of your HDD using MBRFix.exe (in makebt folder),since Parted Magic will not create the required MBR bootcode to make drive bootableIf your HDD is drive 0 then in cmd window opened at makebt folder run:

MbrFix /drive 0 fixmbr

Run USB_XP_Setup.exe to Quick Format TargetDrive and prepare HDD for Install of XP

Reboot from HDD for Install of XP and continue as usual with TXT and GUI mode of XP Setup(change BIOS settings to boot from HDD if needed)

The package U_XP_SET contains Folder USB_XP_Setup with 3 Programs, which you can Launch via PStart.exe Menu

Make_USB.exe can Copy your XP Source to USB-Drive and can make it Bootable with LiveXP for Emergency

BOOT_IMG.exe Copies WinBuilder LiveXP Boot Image file to C-Harddisk or USB-Driveand makes Entry for boot.ini Menu and GRUB4DOS menu.lst for Booting with LiveXP PE from RAMDISK.This is useful as Escape Boot Option in case Booting with Windows XP or XP Setup may fail,so that you can Repair your System or use Ghost for System Backup and System Restore.

USB_XP_Setup.exe can make XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on Install-Drive usually C:and will specify in TXTSETUP.SIF where to find the FULL XP Source on partition 1 of USB-Stick.For all other cases of Install of XP e.g. from any Harddisk folder or Network Shared folder or from CD / DVD disk,then the XP Source is always Copied to $WIN_NT$.~LS folder on Target Install-drive.

===

Before you Start to Install XP:

Prepare XP Source Folder and Live XP Boot Image File as described in Sections 2 and 3

Vista as OS requires to turn User Account Control OFF (only needed for the old Batch cmd Programs)

Run the SFX SelfExtractor U_XP_SET.exe and use Extract to the Root of your Workstation HarddiskIn this way you will get on your Local Harddisk the folder U_XP_SET with PStart.exe to launch the 3 Programs

Run BOOT_IMG.exe to Copy WinBuilder LiveXP Boot Image file to C-BootDrive of Harddiskand make Entry for boot.ini Menu and GRUB4DOS menu.lst for Booting with LiveXP PE from RAMDISK.This is also useful as Escape Boot Option in case Booting with Windows XP or XP Setup may fail,so that you can Repair your System or use Ghost for System Backup and System Restore.

The XP Setup Procedure for Fresh Install of XP:

Connect USB-Stick having XP Source in partition 1 (Connect before Booting with LiveXP from HDD) or use any other XP Setup Source.

Remove All Other USB-Drives like CardReaders and USB-Harddisks

Reboot from C-Harddisk and Select to Boot from RAMDISK with LiveXP into PE Environment

Run USB_XP_Setup.exe and Quick Format with NTFS your Selected Target Install-Drive usually C:

Use GO to make XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on Target Install-Drive.First give XP Setup Source Path and give LiveXP RAM BootSDI IMAGE File.So in case when XP Setup fails, you have LiveXP as Escape Boot Option available on your Fresh Formatted Install Drive.XP Source not on USB-stick is always Copied to $WIN_NT$.~LS folder on Target Install-drive.

If you Install on other than Active C-drive, then Use Disk Manager to Activate Install Drive Partition

Proceed as usual with TXT-mode and GUI-mode of Unattended XP SetupIn TXT-mode after FAST loading drivers the blue screen becomes black andthen one needs to wait sufficiently until the blue screen with the Drive Partition List appears.Select the Install Partition usually C: and Auto proceed with FileCopy and Reboot for GUI-mode of XP Setup.WARNINGDon't Delete the Install Partition, just Install on this previously in PE Quick Formatted NTFS Partition.Changing the Partitioning is a task which is done in LiveXP PE Environment with7Tools Partition Manager 2005 of Paragon ( Preferred ) or Acronis Disk Director 10.

The advantage of the present technique is that there are no changes needed in the BIOS Setting.Booting for XP Setup occurs all the time as normal from the C-Install Drive if you Install on C-Drive.Thus the USB-stick does not need to be bootable and it is not needed that the motherboard supports booting from USB.In the case of total computer disaster it can still be handy to boot with LiveXP from USB-drive.

Another advantage is that you can use the FULL XP Source unchanged just as with Install from CDand the $OEM$ folder is recognised and the [Unattended] section of winnt.sif file is used as normal.Moreover USB_XP_Setup.exe allows to Select from different XP Sources on USB-Drive to be used for XP Setup.Supports the use of BTS DriverPacks located in OEM Folder in XP Source Folder on USB-Drivehttp://driverpacks.net/downloads

Install XP from USB AFTER booting with PE does not make use of WINNT32.EXEIn fact the only thing I do is Create the XP BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT of only 12 MB on the Install Driveby parsing dosnet.inf and to specify in TXTSETUP.SIF where to find the FULL XPSOURCE.In this case the XP Setup Source Folder must be on USB-stick.For all other cases of Install of XP e.g. from any Harddisk folder or Network Shared folder or from CD / DVD disk,then the XP Source is always Copied to $WIN_NT$.~LS folder on Target Install-drive.

Thanks to ilko_t I have learned how to use SetupSourcePath and SetupSourceDeviceto specify in TXTSETUP.SIF where to find the XP Source Folder, thus enablingAlternative location of Setup files when installing from HD mediahttp://www.msfn.org/...en-t119742.html

- Change of Harddisk Numbering by BIOS due to Hardware Configuration Change on Reboot.Try to disconnect ZIP-drive, Cardreader or use different USB-port.

- Change of Harddisk Numbering by BIOS due to connecting USB-drive AFTER Booting with PE or XPXP Setup may fail - due to XP Source Harddisk Number Change on RebootIn this case Reboot with LiveXP PE and USB-drive CONNECTED to Reset Harddisk NumberRun USB_XP_SETUP.cmd again to get correct SetupSourceDevice in TXTSETUP.SIF

How to boot with LiveXP from Harddisk using extra option in boot.ini Menu was described by me inhttp://www.911cd.net...o...21682&st=24Combining this technique with the possibility to make XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on C-Install-Driveby parsing dosnet.inf and to specify in TXTSETUP.SIF the XP Source location on USB-stickhas resulted in this way of Install of XP from USB-stick AFTER booting with PE from C-Harddisk.

In LiveXP you can Connect to Network Drive using PENetwork Manager withPath: ComputerNameShareNameUser: ComputerNameUserNamePass: PassWordIt might be necessary to switch off the Firewall of the Network computer.

Network Shared Folders can also be used as Source folder in USB_XP_Setup.exe and Make_USB.exe

For Install of XP in a folder e.g. WIN51 next to existing WINDOWS folder or for Repair Installyou can use USB_XP_Setup.exe direct from HDD without booting first into PE Environment.

Repair Install using USB_XP_Setup.exe

XP Setup Source Folder can be on USB-stick or anywhere else.

Connect USB-stick having XP Source in partition 1

Remove All Other USB-Drives like CardReaders and USB-Harddisks

Reboot as NORMAL from C-Harddisk, so that BIOS Resets USB-drive number

Run USB_XP_SETUP.exe to make XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on Install-Drive usually C:

Repair Install is enabled by Disabling [Unattended] Section using ; in C:$WIN_NT$.~BTwinnt.sif file

Supports the use of BTS DriverPacks located in OEM Folder on USB-Drivehttp://driverpacks.net/downloadsFor Install of XP on a modern system with SATA Drives it is needed to use DPsBase.exefor Integrating in your XPSOURCE BTS DriverPack Massstorage with TXT Mode Enabled.In that case a lot of Extra RAID SCSI and SATA Drivers (about 120 extra) are Integrated which appear in theXP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on Install-Drive and can prevent a lot of XP Install Boot Problems.It will be useful to Add also Chipset, CPU and LAN DriverPack, which are small so thatthe decompression at the beginning of GUI-mode of XP Setup does NOT take to much time.Always first use RyanVM Integrator or nLite and then use DPsBase to Improve your XP-Source.The program supplies a Customised presetup.cmd and changes the winnt.sif file for use of DriverPacks.

When you don't use nLite, you can copy the supplied $OEM$ folder to your XP Source folder.Change $OEM$ folder to your needs for UserAccounts and Registry Tweaks and Adding Drivers.CMDLINES.TXT is used for making UserAccounts and install of Registry Tweaks at T-12Info see: http://unattended.ms.../unattended.xp/

PnP Drivers specified in winnt.sif can be added to $OEM$$1Drivershttp://unattended.ms...xp/view/web/34/TEXTMODE Drivers defined in winnt.sif and located in $OEM$TEXTMODE folder of the XP Sourcecan be used instead of using F6 floppy for MassStorage Drivers.The content of the $OEM$TEXTMODE folder is copied by USB_XP_Setup.exe to XP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT$OEM$See cdob and allanf in http://www.boot-land...?...5306&st=180

Download LiveXP e.g. lx77rc2cxw.exe from folder Projects or lx77rc2cbw.exe from folder Portablehttp://amalux.winbuilder.net/Run the downloaded exe and extract to simple path without spaces e.g. extract to root of your local harddisk.

You can add a Ghost script (Ghost Plus!.script) which is very handy for System Backup and Restore.Copy file Ghost Plus!.script from http://amalux.winbui...Scripts/Backup/to <WinBuilder>ProjectsLiveXPAppsSystem folder

For making LiveXP Boot Image file you need original XP-SP2 or XP-SP3 Setup CD copied to folder in root of harddisk.Use simple name without spaces for XP Setup Source folder and Switch Off your Firewall and AntiVirus protection.The MassStorage DriverPack for support of SATA drives is automatically integrated in LiveXP made with WinBuilder.

In case of WinBuilder Errors use Button Clean Temporary Files in Advance.On Success Save WinBuilder Settings with WB Manager useful later for Restore of Settings.

Run WinBuilder to make in 15 min your LiveXP_WIM.ISO or LiveXP_RAM.ISO Boot Image file in folder <WinBuilder>ISO

Alternatively you may use BootSDI.img file made in folder <WinBuilder>ISORamI386ramdisk.sys and setupldr.bin of Windows Server 2003 SP1 must be in <WinBuilder>WorkbenchCommonBootSDI directory.Activate Finish > Create Image > Boot SDI and Run WinBuilder.You can Deactivate Emulation and Burn Image, since we don't need a CD for our purpose.IMG-type files can be changed afterwards more easily by simply mounting them in Virtual Drive with R-mouse using ImDisk or with VDK.

Run makebtMount_IMG.cmd and Select to Mount your BootSDI.img file in a Virtual Drive using VDK

Copy your add-ons to your Virtual Drive in which you mounted BootSDI.img file

Use UnMount_IMG.cmd to Close the Virtual Drive and Save the Changes in your BootSDI.img file

FileName of IMG or ISO files for loading into RAMDISK, like LiveXP BootSDI.img file,must be conform DOS 8.3 because otherwise in case of FAT or FAT32 Filesystemyou would get Error 14 (File Not Found).

1. Using 7-Zip Compressed DriverPacks located in OEM Folder on USB-Drive,which are decompressed by presetup.cmd at beginning of GUI-mode of XP Setup.http://driverpacks.net/downloadsFor Install of XP on a modern system with SATA Drives it is needed to use DPsBase.exefor Integrating in your XPSOURCE BTS DriverPack Massstorage with TXT Mode Enabled.In that case a lot of Extra RAID SCSI and SATA Drivers (about 120 extra) are Integrated which appear in theXP Setup BootFolder $WIN_NT$.~BT on Install-Drive and can prevent a lot of XP Install Boot Problems.First use RyanVM Integrator and then use DPsBase to Improve your XP-Source.The program supplies a Customised presetup.cmd and changes the winnt.sif file for use of DriverPacks.

2. Using DriverForge.v4.5.4.exe to Install from C:Drivers at T-9 of GUI XP Setup (just for the last Reboot).DriverForge.v4.5.4.exe made by kickarsehttp://www.msfn.org/...howtopic=110783At end of TXT-mode XP Setup the folder $OEM$$1Drivers is copied to C:Driversand $OEM$$1InstallDriverForge.v4.5.4.exe is copied to C:InstallWhen you don't use nLite, you can Copy the supplied USB_XP_Setup$OEM$ folder to your XP Source folder.For Auto Use of DriverForge at T-9 you can place uncompressed drivers (or folders) in Drivers of $OEM$and then Uncomment two rules by removing ; in U_XP_SETUSB_XP_Setupw_sifwinnt.sif file (see below).You can also change driverforge.ini to your needs if you want to use drivers on a different location,or you may even use the compressed DriverPacks.

[SetupParams]UserExecute = "%SystemDrive%INSTALLSetupPar.cmd"

Method 2 can be very fast because you can just use in Drivers your well known set of required drivers.The ATI Catalyst Control Center can be Installed separately with other Apps After Setup has completed.

The Folder usb_cfg_extra provides a script for Windows Post-Install Wizard (WPI) - http://wpiw.net/WPI is very handy for the Automatic Install of Programs after Install of XP from USB.

Some Tweaks are done at best when XP Setup has completed e.g. the IE7_Tweaks and NoWallpaperSo I combine these tweaks with the Install of Apps using WPIand launch WPI Manually AFTER logon and when the XP Desktop is ready.As example a config.js script is provided in U_XP_SETUSB_XP_Setupusb_cfg_extraINSTALL_PRGS_WPIWPIScripts

In WPI script there is the option to run SFC /purgecache which deletes the dll cacheby deleting the files in Folder C:WINDOWSsystem32dllcacheThis is a very simple way to reduce the WINDOWS Folder Size by 360 MBThe Result is a XP WINDOWS Folder Size on Harddisk of only 900 MB inclusive all Updates.

Install of XP from USB including Drivers with DriverForge and Post Install using WPI for the Appsis realised Now within 30 minutes using USB-stick with NTFS Format.

Run Vista Setup from folder on USB-stick by using e.g. Free Commander in PE 2.1 Environment

Select and Format your Install Drive e.g. C:

Proceed with Install of Vista from USB (Copy + Extract)

Disconnect USB-stick precisely at First Reboot (just at the BIOS Beep when the screen is black).Without Removal there is 10 min Extra Install time.

Proceed with Install of Vista - Totally in about 18 min

The present approach is Install of Vista from USB without booting from USB.So you don't need BIOS USB Boot Support and you don't need to change BIOS Settings.Moreover, Vista Setup Source can be located in a folder on USB-stick so that it does not interfere with other Setup Sources like folders with Vista x64 or Windows 7 Setup Source.

Thanks to jaclaz for Help with GRUB4DOS menu to boot with Windows PE 2.1 ISO file.

The actual filelist used by the program to get files is the generated WIN7_add_files.txt copy in folder WIN7_addx86In case of 64-bits Operating System then everywhere folder amd64 is used instead of x86 so that 64-bits can have its own list of files.For 64-bits Operating System you have to make similar registry files from your own Windows 7 Registry.

Step 3. Run Make_PE3.cmd as Administrator to Create Windows PE 3.0 ISOpe3.iso of about 155 MB has been created in 2 minutes in folder C:winpe3_x86

Working Directory Folder C:winpe3_x86 is Created if it does not exist.File winpe.wim remains unchanged and is copied as file boot.wim to folder C:winpe3_x86ISOsourcesThe boot.wim file is mounted by imagex.exe in folder C:winpe3_x86mountFiles from WIN7_addx86 and PE3_addx86 are added to mount by xcopy.exe, Packages and Drivers are added by Dism.exeThe PE3 SYSTEM and SOFTWARE Registry files are improved with Windows 7 Settings using reg importThen imagex.exe will Unmount and Commit changes in boot.wimAnd finally oscdimg.exe will create the pe3.iso file in folder C:winpe3_x86Folders WIN7_addx86 and AIK_Tools are generated and stay ready for future use.WARNING:In Windows 7 OS not using as Administrator results in Errors,because using imagex.exe reg.exe and dism.exe is Not allowed by User Account Control.If you made this mistake, you need before the next run to empty folder C:winpe3_x86mount

Step 4. Install pe3.iso as GRUB4DOS boot option on HDD or USBUse BOOT_IMG.exe to Install pe3.iso of about 155 MB as GRUB4DOS boot option on HDD or USBCopy folder PStart or U_XP_SET to Root of HDD or USB drive to provide PStart Menu for portable programs.

Step 5. Reboot with pe3.iso from GRUB4DOS Menu on HDD or USBBoot with 155 MB pe3.iso in 30 sec from HDD or in 4 min from USB-stick.

Use MultiRes from PStart PE3 System Menu to adjust the Screen Resolution to 1024 x 768 pixelsUsing ImDisk Install allows to use mounting e.g. XP Setup ISO in a in a Virtual DriveIf desired, Run CmdHere to add Command Prompt Hereto the R-mouse context menu.

Step 6. Install of XP or Windows 7 AFTER booting with pe3.iso

If your XP Setup Source is an ISO file, then first install ImDisk driver so that you can mount the ISO in a virtual drive.

Use PStart > Edit > Add file to select imdiskinst.exe from U_XP_SETUSB_XP_Setupmakebt folder and Run to install ImDisk driver.

Then Launch Notepad from cmd window or from PStart Menu.

In Notepad Select File > Open to get the FileSelector which can be used as File Browser for All Files.

Then with R-mouse on the ISO file you can use the ImDisk context menu to mount the ISO in a Virtual Drive.

If your Setup Source is a folder on HDD or USB or a CD/DVD drive then you don't need to use ImDisk.

Windows PE 3.0 with PStart Menu for PE3 System and for Portable Programs==================================================================================

6. MultiBoot USB-drives prepared with Make_USB.exe

CD / DVD Content can be copied unchanged to Root of USB-stick by using the Add Extra Content Selector.This allows to use a well-tuned CD / DVD as Setup Source including Apps for Install of XP from USB.In this case you must Uncheck the Copy Checkbox of XP Setup Source Folder Selection so that this XP Source Selection is only used to have access to the XP BootFiles NTLDR and NTDETECT.COM and is NOT used as normal to Copy the XP Source to a Folder on Target Drive.

Support for LiveXP minint was added to the BartPE group of Make_USB.exe Autodetect of modified ntdetect.com when placed in U_XP_SETUSB_XP_Setupmakebt folder

Support for VistaPE on MultiBoot USB-stick was made, where you can use the Vista Add Extra Source Selector to Select your VistaPETargetVistaPE-Core Folder.VistaPE - http://www.boot-land...hp?showforum=51

BOOT_IMG.exe can be used to Add Multiple BartPE type IMG or ISO files.LiveXP - BootSDI.img or BartPE.iso booting from RAMDISK must containI386SYSTEM32DRIVERSRAMDISK.SYS file of Windows 2003 SP1In that case Win2k3 SP1 setupldr.bin is renamed as RMLD1 andpatched for ramx1.sif file with the SetupData instead of winnt.sifThe index in RMLDx can range from 1-9 for support of 9 different LiveXP Boot Image Files.http://www.911cd.net...o...21682&st=24

BOOT_IMG.exe can be used to Add Multiple CD-ISO Images as Boot Option to GRUB4DOS menu.lst Menu,where mapping of the ISO image to (hd32) or (0xff) is used.VistaPE and Windows PE 2.1 ISO are booting from RAMDISK this way.Other CD-ISO images when Installed on HD are copied first to RAM using the --mem option,so that Harddisk operations are allowed.In the case of Removable USB-stick the --mem option is NOT used in order to gain speed in all cases.Then the CD-ISO Files need to be contiguous (unfragmented), check and repair with wincontig:http://diddy.boot-la...s/files/map.htm

After Booting with Parted Magic ISO from GRUB4DOS menu.lst on Harddisk, you can use GParted to change the partioning of your USB-stick e.g. to Create a second partition.

In a similar way Booting from HD with LiveXP BootSDI.img into RAMDISK allows to use Acronis Disk Director 10 to create multiple partitions on USB-stick, without any need to use a filter driver as needed in regular Windows XP.

Guides on How to Make MultiBoot USB Drives:

Make_USB.exe is used to make MultiBoot USB-stickshaving NTLDR-type bootsector and boot.ini Menu plus GRUB4DOS menu.lst Menu.

NTLDR + NTDETECT.COM and boot.ini are copied to the root of an USB-stick previously NTFS formatted with Format Stick procedure,so that it is configured as a Harddisk having NTLDR-type BootSector.BOOTMGR-type Bootsector made by Vista Disk Management will be changed to the compatible NTLDR-type Bootsector.This is the way to make Bootable USB-stick with boot.ini Menu, where GRUB4DOS grldr can be launched from boot.ini Menu.

Windows XP can be launched from any primary partition of any harddisk using arcpath in boot.ini Menu.Windows Vista can be launched from any harddisk using chainload of bootmgr in menu.lst Menu of GRUB4DOS.

Make_USB.exe can also be used to Install LiveXP BootSDI.img as Boot option on e.g. 30 GB USB Harddisk Primary partition, previously Formatted with NTFS FileSystem using Windows XP or Vista Disk Management.

Format Stick using Make_USB.exeAn AutoIt3 Routine was created to Format USB-sticks with a Harddisk like structure and NTFS/FAT32/FAT FileSystem.It can be used in Make_USB.exe with the Format Stick Button instead of using the HP Format Tool.

First 100 Sectors of USB-stick are erased quickly using dsfi.exe and file Erase_100.bin

USB-sticks with Dummy Second Partition of about 8 MB (using 1 Cyl in case of n/255/63 geometry) can be generated to further improve bootability as described by onlinehttp://www.boot-land...?showtopic=7512

The Format Stick routine was further improved for FAT and FAT32 FileSystem,by patching after Format two important bytes which determine bootability of USB-stick.

MBR - Reset FAT FileSystem byte = 0E (LBA) at offset 0x1C2 in MBR, after format it was 06 (CHS) and not bootable

FAT BootSector - drive-id patch 0x80 at offset 0x24 , after format it was 00 and Not bootable

MBR - Reset FAT32 FileSystem byte = 0C (LBA) at offset 0x1C2 in MBR, after format it was 0B (CHS) and Not bootable

FAT32 Bootsector - drive-id patch 0x80 at offset 0x40 , after format it was 00 and Not bootable

FAT and FAT32 USB-stick are NOT bootable without patching these two critical bytes, and flashing cursor or Disk Error would be the result.The problem is that Windows OS all the time tries to reset these bytes to NON-bootable value.But this problem was overcome in the present procedure.

Images are made from a Virtual Drive by using ImDisk virtual disk driver of Olof Lagerkvisthttp://www.ltr-data.se/opencode.htmlFor using Make_IMG.exe it needs to install previously the ImDisk Driver with U_XP_SETUSB_XP_Setupmakebtimdiskinst.exeYou will find the Image files made with Make_IMG.exe in U_XP_SETUSB_XP_Setupmakebtmake_image folder.

For the XP Recovery Console a 15 MB FAT12 Superfloppy Image file is made, where the cmdcons folder is generated by parsing dosnet.inf of the Windows XP Setup Source.Then cmdcons folder is renamed as i386 and ramdisk.sys of win2k3 is added instead of the original one.In root of bootdrive we have setupldr.bin of win2k3 renamed as the bootloader RCLDR, which is patched for using rcons.sif as setup information instead of winnt.sif to allow MultiBoot Environment.More Info: http://www.boot-land...?...=5316&st=60

I would like to thank jaclaz for making use of his CATCH22 folder.http://www.911cd.net...o...20983&st=25Adding the CATCH22 folder to the root of any HD-like device allows to use Recovery Console Superfloppy Boot Image without using admin password and to get unlimited access to any folder by connecting to CATCH22 instead of to WINDOWS folder and then using the command:

batch SETALLON

For the LiveXP / BartPE / UBCD4Win ISO or NTFS Compressed IMG Files Booting from RAMDISK, it is possible to migrate USB-stick to DriveLetter U: so that Shifting of other Drive Letters is prevented.In root of boot drive we have Win2k3 SP1 setupldr.bin renamed as RMLD1 and patched for ramx1.sif file with the SetupData instead of winnt.sifThe index in RMLDx can range from 1-9 for support of 9 different LiveXP Boot Image Files.http://www.911cd.net...o...21682&st=24

Install of Boot Image files is possble on Harddisk Boot Drive C: or on Bootable USB-stick made e.g. with Make_USB.exe by making boot entries in GRUB4DOS menu.lst Menu and in some cases in XP boot.ini Menu as well.

The program will recognize the type of image and will generate the corresponding GRUB4DOS entry in menu.lstThe DOS Superfloppy Images including DOS-Apps are booting from RAM, which allows to boot with DOS from a NTFS Harddisk.FreeDOS Superfloppy file BTFRDOS.img is in folder Downloads - http://wimb.winbuilder.net/downloads/

The present approach is Install from USB without booting from USB.So you don't need BIOS USB Boot Support and you don't need to change BIOS Settings.Moreover, Unchanged Setup Sources can be used and can be located in a folder on USB-stick so that they do not interfere with eachother.

Credits:I would like to thank ilko_t for publishing his AutoIt3 Source of WinSetupFromUSB_0-1-1.au3at MSFN Forum http://www.msfn.org/...howtopic=120444Parts of WinSetupFromUSB were used for Creating Make_USB.exe

Step 4. Improve Windows PE 3.0 - Add Desktop folder and Autolaunch of PStart MenuAdd Browse for Folder support by making (empty) Desktop folder in Windows\System32\config\systemprofile folder.In Windows Explorer folder F:\winpe3_x86\mount\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile make (empty) folder DesktopThanks to allanf for telling me this way to get Browse for Folder support in Windows PE

Add some dll files from system32 folder of Windows 7 needed for support of some Portable Programs.ImgBurn needs msacm32.dll and shfolder.dllImDisk needs crtdll.dllHandyRecovery and HD Tune need oledlg.dll

Copy from system32 folder of Windows 7 to folder F:\winpe3_x86\mount\Windows\System32

crtdll.dll
msacm32.dll
oledlg.dll
shfolder.dll

Use startnet.cmd for Autolaunch of PStart.exe from U_XP_SET folder.Edit file F:\winpe3_x86\mount\Windows\System32\startnet.cmd

Step 7. Install pe3.iso as GRUB4DOS boot option on HDD or USBUse BOOT_IMG.exe of U_XP_SET to Install pe3.iso of about 135 MB as GRUB4DOS boot option on HDD or USBCopy folder U_XP_SET to Root of HDD or USB drive to provide PStart Menu for portable programs.

First of all thanks for this gret topic, i am an average pc user trying to fulfill this tutorial but i have questions to clarify things.What i would like to know is about the boot image file used to load pe environment, is it the iso file created using winbuilder or something else.also do i choose this iso file location for both Make_USB.exe and BOOT_IMG.exe

What i would like to know is about the boot image file used to load pe environment, is it the iso file created using winbuilder or something else.also do i choose this iso file location for both Make_USB.exe and BOOT_IMG.exe

Instead of Booting with 7 PE you can use any other way of booting that allows you to Format and prepare your Target Drive.You might decide e.g. to boot with Portable Windows XP IMG or with Windows 7 VHD from USBIn any case you can use WinNTSetup2_x86.exe to prepare your Target drive for Install of XP or Windows 7